Pink sauerkraut (naturally fermented)
Tangy, probiotic-packed lacto-fermented red cabbage with radishes in a dazzling pink sauerkraut.
Equipment
- 1 jar approximately 750 ml to 1 l capacity with screw or rubber seal lid
- 1 sharp knife
- 1 funnel (optional)
- 1 scale
- 1 measuring jug (optional, reuse a clean water bottle with known capacity, for example 1 liter)
Ingredients
- 1 medium to large red cabbage
- 100 g radishes optional, sliced in 0.5 cm thin slices
- 25 g salt
- 1 liter water
- 4 large garlic cloves (peeled and no blemishes)
- a handful dill
- 3 small chili chunks (optional, add more or less depends on how spicy you like it)
Instructions
Prepare the vegetables
- Remove any wilted, dry or bruised outer leaves from the cabbage. You don't need to wash it.
- Remove the tops and root ends from the radishes if you are using and give them a good wash in cold water. You may need to gently scrub to remove any soil from radishes. Pat dry with kitchen paper.
Prepare the garlic, chili and dill
- Peel the garlic and set aside. Make sure your garlic is nice and plump and has no blemishes. You can cut the dark end if you want but it is not necessary.
- Remove any wilted dill strands. Give the dill a good rinse in cold water, shaking any excess water.
- I used a frozen cayenne chili pepper that I bought at farmers market and put in the freezer. But if you are using fresh, make sure it is clean, give it a rinse under cold running water. Chop as much chili as you would like, I used a few small chunks as this cayenne is very hot 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️.
Chop the vegetables
- Cut the red cabbage head in half and remove the hardcore.
- Slice the cabbage roughly in 3 cm slices approximately.
- Slice the larger radishes in 0.5 cm discs or leave the small ones whole.
Stuff the fermentation jar
- Start by laying a few garlic cloves, chili and a few strands of dill.
- Continue to stuff the jar with chunks of red cabbage.
- Add radishes in any empty spaces. Don't force them too much, but pack them tight.
- Add the remaining garlic and dill as you fill the jar.
- Wedge a few red cabbage slices at the top so as to keep everything from rising up.
Prepare the brine
- Add 25 g of salt to one liter of cold water and swirl to dissolve.
- Pour the brine carefully over the veggies until they are fully covered.
Fermentation stage
- Make sure there is no space left in the jar at the top then close the lid loosely. Important: remove the rubber seal to allow gas to escape during fermentation!
- Set the jar aside at room temperature, but not too close to a hot spot.
- The liquid will become a bright pink and little cloudy from day 2 onward.
Burping your pink sauerkraut (yes you heard it right LOL)
- You need to "burp" the brine daily. Use a large diameter stainless steel straw if you have one, but can use any disposable drink straws.
- Blow gently to form bubbles in the brine careful not to spill the brine over.
- This will help with the lacto - fermentation. Taste the brine after day 3 and the sauerkraut after day 5, to make sure you are happy with the taste.
- It will take around 7 days to achieve a pleasant sourness and a slight fizz, depending on the temperature of the kitchen.
How to store your fermented green tomatoes
- After 7 days, if you are happy with the level of sourness, store the jar in the fridge.
- Every time you serve it, take some veggies out of the brine with clean utensils and place the jar back in the fridge immediately.
Video
Notes
You can also slice the red cabbage as you stuff the jar.
That way you only slice what you need to fit in the empty spaces. You may not use all of it, use the leftovers in a stir fry or a salad later!
Important: remove the rubber seal to allow gas to escape during fermentation!
You may wonder what type of salt to use, but I found that it really doesn't matter if you are using Kosher salt or pink Himalayan salt. I just use ordinary table salt (just make sure there are no other ingredients apart from salt) and it works like a treat! 🫶
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Tried this recipe?Tag me @candyflossiecooks on Instagram! I'd love to see how your dish turns out ! ✨